 "Earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hits Tajikistan; tremors felt in parts of Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir")
High-intensity tremors were felt in several north Indian states on Friday night. The latest information from the National Centre for Seismology suggested that the tremors were likely caused by an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude with its epicentre in Tajikistan.
Earthquake of Magnitude:6.3, Occurred on 12-02-2021, 22:31:33 IST, Lat: 38.00 & Long: 73.58, Depth: 74 Km ,Location: 285km ENE of Fayzabad, Afghanistanfor more information https://t.co/PxX3VNYiFY @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/2F8ndn7p5v
— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) February 12, 2021
The seismology department at first erroneously gave the epicentre as Amritsar and put the quake’’s depth at 19 km. It later sent a revised statement to confirm the quake was in Tajikistan. It ascribed the error to a software mistake. The tremors created panic among people who rushed out of their homes. One unverified video claiming to be from Jammu and Kashmir showed people out on the street. However, there were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was virtually interacting with students of University of Chicago, was heard saying that his entire room was “shaking”. The states which experienced the tremors are Delhi and the National Capital Region, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab, The Indian Express reported. The earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale occurred between 10.31 to 10.40 pm, according to various reports. The tremors were “followed by strong aftershocks”, according to some reports. News18 reported that tremors were also reported from Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Tremors were also felt in Pakistan’s Islamabad, and in cities in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, PTI reported. The report also said that Pakistan occupied-Kashmir (PoK) also experienced tremors. National Conference (NC) leader said the tremors reminded the people of the 2005 quake in Jammu and Kashmir. He tweeted:
Not since the earthquake of 2005 have the tremors in Srinagar been bad enough to force me out of the house. I grabbed a blanket & ran. I didn’t remember to take my phone & so was unable to tweet “earthquake” while the damn ground was shaking.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 12, 2021
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh took note of the earthquake and tweeted wishes for people’s safety. “No reports of any damage so far in Amritsar or other parts of Punjab following the #earthquake. Top officials of @PunjabPoliceInd and local administration are keeping a close watch on the situation,” Singh tweeted.
No reports of any damage so far in Amritsar or other parts of Punjab following the #earthquake. Top officials of @PunjabPoliceInd & local administration are keeping a close watch on the situation. Praying for everyone’s safety. https://t.co/DKNNvFMPwE
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 12, 2021
Earthquake tremors felt in Delhi. Praying for everyone's safety. https://t.co/8fU8TGQLiE
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 12, 2021
Deputy Commissioner Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Khaira said all his officers are on their toes and police PCR vehicles are moving in the city. Police Commissioner Amritsar Sukchain Singh Gill said everything was normal at the Golden Temple too and volunteers were doing sewa as usual. In Chandigarh, Class 11 student Aditya, who was preparing for his school exams, said “I thought somebody was pushing my chair.” JL Gautam, Operations Head of the NCS said the “epicentre of the earthquake is Tajikistan. Our preliminary findings said the epicentre was Amritsar. We have now revised the epicentre”. According to M Rajeevan, Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, “The message was wrongly taken out by the system. It has been corrected.” The NCS had also said there were two quakes - the Tajikistan one occurred at 10.31 PM while the Amritsar quake happened at 10.34 PM. “There was only one quake,” Gautam said later. The Himalayan and the Hindukush mountain ranges are prone to quakes and many a time its tremors can be felt across the Indo-Gangetic belt. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal too prayed for the safety of people. According to the Delhi fire department, no calls were immediately received for help. Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra also tweeted about the tremors and prayed for well being of all. With inputs from PTI
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